In some vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, electric pumps mounted on the fuel tank itself are used to provide fuel to the engines. The fuel inlet for the pumps is generally directly below the pump and includes a fuel
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,388 issued May 31, 1988 discloses an in-tank fuel reservoir in which a pump is mounted within the reservoir. When ample fuel is present in the fuel tank, it flows through a filter directly to the pump. However, the filter is formed as a diaphragm and should there be low fuel at the bottom of the reservoir, the filter acts as a diaphragm to open a valve which admits reserve fuel on the reservoir to the pump inlet. In periods of low fuel, the wet diaphragm will not pass air and the pressure drop above the filter causes it to be drawn upwardly to actuate the valve to release fuel from the reservoir.
In most instances, this system is satisfactory since the pump is located in a symmetrical tank and will be responsive to low fuel level. However, in some vehicles the tanks are not symmetrical due to space problems in the vehicle construction. For example, in some snowmobile vehicles, the tank is elongate and has a high area where the pump is vertically positioned with the inlet near the bottom of the tank but the tank top tapers off to a low area quite remote from the pump inlet. When fuel is low and the vehicle is angled on a hill or for other reasons, the fuel is moved away from the main pump inlet and the engine will become starved of fuel. This can cause serious damage to the engine since, especially in two cycle engines, an extremely lean fuel source will cause the engine pistons to heat up and seize.
The present invention is directed to a multiple fuel pick-up where a main inlet below the pump is provided with an actuating diaphragm and valve which will close the main pump inlet when fuel is not present at the main inlet. A remote inlet spaced from the main inlet is then subjected to reduced pressure form the pump and fuel from the remote pick-up is drawn to the pump from another area of the tank where fuel is found. In the event the fuel is depleted from both areas of the tank, both valves at the multiple locations will close and the engine will instantly stall, thus preventing engine damage.
It is then an object of the invention to provide multiple and remote fuel inlets which will feed the fuel pump selectively under low fuel conditions and also shut off the pump inlets entirely when fuel is exhausted, thus shutting down the engine.
Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent in the following description and claims in which details of the invention are set forth to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, all in connection with the best mode presently contemplated for the invention.